Unmanned aspirations

摘要

On 27 December 2022 Turkey's Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) awarded Ares Shipyard and Meteksan Defence a first production order for their jointly developed ULAQ armed unmanned surface vessel (USV), marking a major milestone lor the programme. Under the contract, the Turkish Navy will receive one anti-surface warfare (ASuW) variant with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. With design and production phases now completed, the USV is planned to be delivered in November, Ares told Janes. At the same time, the two companies are eyeing the export market and have expressed confidence in securing orders beyond Turkey in the coming months as the ULAQ programme continues to gather traction.